AN: Sorry this took so long, but it was actually a b**** to write. Hope you all like it! Ughhhh! Sorry, due to errors I ended up loading this chapter 3 times!!!!, but I am neurotic and wanted it to be perfect.
(TIVA)
Ziva sighed and sat on a stool while rubbing her aching back. For the last two days she'd been working hard to get everything ready for when she had the baby. Tony had been furious with her.
"Geez, Zi! You should be resting. We've got a lot of time to finish getting everything ready." he'd scolded her last night.
"Not so long, Tony. Only four weeks until my due date." she'd argued back.
"Sweet Cheeks," he replied as his hands gently massaged her shoulders. "please, humor me. I promise you, this weekend, I'll help you get everything done that you have on your list, ok?"
Ziva sighed, leaning into him. "I can not help it, Tony. I can not explain it, but I just .... I need to finish, Tony. There is still a lot that I have to get done, and I am quite capable of doing it. I am not made of a window."
"Glass, you're not made of glass," Tony automatically corrected, receiving an elbow to the ribs for his trouble.
Tony groaned, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "Alright. Could you at least promise me something?" At her nod, he continued. "Just don't try to do everything all at once. Take a break every now and then, and sit with your feet up, and leave anything requiring heavy lifting for me, ok?"
Ziva turned in his arms, her own going up to circle his neck. She kissed him softly on the lips. "I promise, My Furry Bear. I will try to relax a bit, and I will sit with my feet up."
He continued looking at her, waiting for the rest. She rolled her eyes and growled softly. "And I will leave the heavy lifting for you to do this weekend."
Tony smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "Thank you."
Ziva just sighed. She hated giving up her independence. If she weren't pregnant, Tony wouldn't dare ask her to not do any heavy lifting, and she certainly wouldn't agree to. As much as she loved Peanut, she couldn't wait to have all these restrictions lifted, and for everyone to stop coddling her.
Fortunately, she'd accomplished most of what was on her list already. Today she had cooked the last three meals, bringing the total now in the freezer to sixteen. Then she'd put the last few items in her bag for the hospital, and into Arianya's bag. Ducky and Jordan had agreed to keep her at their house whilst Ziva was in the hospital.
Both bags were now in Ziva's new Chevy Cobalt. Tony had insisted that her Mini Cooper was too small, and he wanted her to have a new vehicle. He had nightmares about what could happen to her and the kids in an accident. He needed to know that they were safe. That's why he insisted on a chevy, he wanted the on-star feature in the event that Ziva was unable to speak.
As another Braxton-Hicks contraction began Ziva winced. She had been experiencing them on and off for several months, but they seemed different the last few days. At first she'd thought they were real labor pains, but they'd stopped when her back ache increased, and when they came back, they didn't follow the pattern she'd been told to expect. Their timing was inconsistent, although they did get closer together, overall. Due to this occurring over the last two days, she'd simply dismissed them as false labor pains. Now she was beginning to wonder.
She grabbed her pad and pen intending to record the contraction, but when she glanced at the clock she realized it was time to go pick Arianya up from preschool. She tossed the pad and pen aside, grabbed her keys and purse, and waddled out to the garage.
When she returned, she was busy fixing lunch for Arianya. Although she usually ate with the little girl, today she just wasn't hungry. In fact, she felt a bit sick to her stomach. After Arianya finished eating, Ziva directed her towards the loveseat in front of the tv. Then she put on a Disney video, Mulan, and laid down on the sofa.
Arianya fell asleep in the first five minutes the movie was playing. Ziva smiled sleepily. They had both stayed up late last night so that they could spend some time with Tony. He had been gone since Monday morning, working a big case. Gibbs had sent the team home at nine o'clock, telling them all to get some rest. After Tony had given Arianya her bath, he'd read her two stories. Then he'd joined Ziva in their room and climbed into bed beside her. He'd spent the next hour making love to her, before she fell asleep cradled in his arms.
Ziva stifled a yawn, adjusting her weight, trying to find a somewhat comfortable position. She was hoping to alleviate some of her backache by taking some of the weight off it, and finally settled on her side. She closed her eyes and was soon snoring softly.
(TIVA)
Ziva woke suddenly, a wave of nausea washing over her. She struggled to sit up, then to a standing position. Then she rushed to the half-bath off of the mudroom. She bent over, supporting her weight on the vanity, and became violently sick.
Her throat was burning, her eyes tearing up, she clutched her hair in one hand, and continued to lean on the sink with the other, then she felt a contraction wash over her. She gasped in pain, as it stole her breath.
When it was over she flushed the toilet and turned around, sliding down her pants. She spent the next few minutes sitting there as her body continued to empty itself in preparation of delivering her baby. Finally, after another strong contraction, she cleaned herself up and hurried out to the living room.
She picked up the phone and dialed Tony's cell. She groaned a few moments later when a recorded message told her he was unavailable. She tried Gibbs' and received the same message. They must be in the field, somewhere where their cell phones didn't have service. Frustrated, she quickly places a call to Dr. Rosen's office.
The next ten minutes were spent waking Arianya, and getting them both into coats and shoes, then out to, and buckled into, the car. They were delayed by another contraction, and Ziva's struggle to put on her shoes, thankfully Arianya helped.
Ziva pulled out of their cul-de-sac and onto the main road. At the corner she considered her options. The beltway was generally the fastest route, but at this time of day traffic would be heavy causing delays. Finally making a decision, Ziva pulled ahead, having decided to stay on the local roads.
She turned right onto Inwood Ave., and then took the first left onto Dennis Ave. As she approached the intersection at Georgia Ave., she experienced another contraction and pulled off to the side until it passed. When she pulled back out into traffic, she stayed in the right lane in anticipation of turning right onto Georgia Ave. She waited for the green arrow and then eased out into the intersection.
Suddenly she heard horns blaring and tires screeching. Then her car was struck and chaos ensued. She felt a sharp pain on her forehead, and then her left arm. She heard metal crunching, glass breaking, and Arianya screaming. Her airbag deployed and the car came to a stop, crunched between a red pickup and a light pole.
For a few moments her vision was reduced to a blur of colors, her hearing nothing but a dull ringing, and then her senses returned in a cacophonic kaleidoscope. Her cracked windshield, the voice of the on-star operator, the acrid smell of the airbag, a man knocking on the passenger side window, Arianya crying, another sharp contraction, and a surge of moisture between her legs.
As she panted through the contraction, her Mossad training kicked in, and in her mind she prioritized her next actions. First she responded to the on-star operator, informing her that she was in labor, and that her water had broken. Next, she turned her attention to the man at the window, which she lowered, and then turned the engine off. She removed her seat belt and asked him to check on Arianya as she spoke softly to he little girl in Hebrew.
Due to her vehicle being wedged between the pickup and the light pole, Adam, the man at the window, explained that he couldn't get into the car.
"She has some small cuts, that's really all I can see" he told Ziva, studying Arianya through the window. "Just hang on, help should be here soon."
"Tateleh, ma haba'ayah? Ha-eem atah patsoo'a? (Darling, what is wrong? Are you injured?)" she asked, studying Arianya in the rear view mirror when the little girl continued crying.
She watched as the the frightened girl nodded and held up her right arm.
"Hurts, Momma," she whimpered.
"Ani yoda'at, Neshomeleh. Savlanut, Tateleh. (I know, Sweetheart. Patience, Darling) Soon police and firemen will be here to help us, yes?"
"Daddy?"
"No, Tei-yerinkeh (Dearest), not daddy, but others who will help us."
Ziva had no sooner finished saying that, than they heard the sirens. Distant at first, they soon grew incredibly loud as the first responders arrived.
A few minutes later a Silver Spring LEO replaced Adam at the passenger window. Ziva explained to him that she was an NCIS agent and had him secure her purse, which contained her service weapon, badge and picture identification. More sirens were heard, and then the LEO allowed an EMT to take his place.
She was a young blonde with bright blue eyes, and an easy, comforting manner. She listened quietly as Ziva explained that she was in labor, that she'd been on her way to Dr. Rosen's office, that her water had broken just after the crash, and that her contractions were now much stronger and closer together. She quickly assessed Ziva's injuries, then climbed into the back seat to evaluate Arianya.
Meanwhile, the firemen were working on extricating them. It took a fair amount of time, to have the pickup truck removed, and then, using the jaws of life, to open the car doors, but finally, Ziva and Arianya were removed from the vehicle.
Both were secured on back boards until the hospital could rule out any spinal injuries. Arianya's right arm was splinted, as was Ziva's left wrist, and her forehead was bandaged. Her labor had progressed at an alarming rate, and she had spent the majority of the forty-five minutes, in excruciating pain, and cursing in multiple languages.
Thankfully, the ambulance ride to the hospital was very short, just over three minutes. Then Ziva was being wheeled inside. She closed her eyes as another contraction washed over her body, panting as she'd learned in lamaze class. She felt the stretcher come to a stop, and then several pairs of strong hands moved her onto the hospital cot.
She heard the EMT relaying her vitals, information about her pregnancy, and her current condition. Then she opened her eyes and saw a familiar face leaning over her.
"Hi, Ziva, I'm Dr. Benoit, and I'll be taking care of you today." came a soft, soothing voice.
Ziva swallowed her surprise at seeing Jeanne, more worried about her daughter and the baby she was carrying. "My daughter?" she asked, the worry flashing in her eyes.
"She would have been taken to our Pediatric E.R. I'll have someone find out about her." Jeanne reassured her. She nodded to a nurse, and then made short work of checking Ziva for a cervical-spine injury. Meanwhile, another nurse was cutting off Ziva's clothes, and as soon as she cleared Ziva of a spinal injury, Jeanne checked the progress of Ziva's labor. She had experienced several contractions while they worked on her, and it was obvious to everyone that she would be delivering soon.
The nurse returned and told Ziva that Arianya, while obviously upset, had no major injuries. Jeanne informed her that she was now eight plus centimeters dilated, and had the nurses get her ready for delivery. She explained that she was calling the NICU to have someone come down to care for the baby. She asked Ziva a few questions about her pregnancy, and Ziva gave her her due date and informed her of her earlier bleeding and the possibility of RH incompatibility.
While Jeanne stepped aside to get ready, Ziva was left alone with her thoughts. She was in pain, worried, and afraid. Right now she wanted Tony more than anything in the world.
A few moments later, she miraculously felt his presence. The door had opened, and turning, Ziva's chocolate orbs collided with his forest green ones. She held out a hand to him as relief washed over her.
(TIVA)
AN: So? What'd you think? Push that little button and let me know!!!!! I really need to feel the love. I have to spend all day Saturday at the local Auditorium with my daughter's cheerleading squad, for competition! All day with 17 twelve and thirteen year olds!!!!!!